Lawn and Garden Life: June
Upstate New York gardeners are thrilled for the month of June. With longer days and warmer nights, we finally enter summer and the growing season is in full swing. So what should you be doing in your garden this month? Take a look!
June To-Do List
● Rain is nice, but not always enough to suffice. Continue watering newly planted veggies and annuals whether in the ground or in containers.
● Those wicked weeds – they’re gonna get you. Don’t let them. Now is the time to create a weekly weeding schedule. Spray, hoe or hand-pull those weeds. Your garden will thank you.
● Stake vines and veggies as needed.
● Enhance the appearance of your beds and containers by dead-heading spent flowers. This will encourage your plants to produce more flowers.
● Plant additional annuals such as nasturtium, zinnias, marigolds, cosmos or alyssum, to add a fresh pop of color to your garden beds. Remember to plant your window boxes, too.
● Feed everything that is already in the ground, including trees. Use a slow-release fertilizer to avoid burning plant roots while giving your plants the nutrients they need to thrive.
● Mulch around veggie and garden beds to curtail weeds and conserve water.
● Plant warm weather veggies such as green beans, basil, cukes, squashes, melons and strawberries.
● Mow your lawn at least once a week (twice would be better) at a height of 3”.
● Start planning on what veggies you will plant in mid-July that you will harvest in early Fall. When one crop is done, fill this space with another. This is called succession planting. (Think fresh corn on the cob in September.)
● June is a great time to add perennials, shrubs and trees to your garden. Visit your local CountryMax to find the perfect plants for our zone.
Plant these popular vegetables and prepare your summer feasts accordingly!
Beefsteak Tomatoes
Excellent slicing for sandwiches
Lady Bell Peppers
Colorful varieties, deep lobes for stuffing
Cubanelle Hot Peppers
Perfect for frying and grilling
Straight 8 Cucumbers
Fantastic for pickling
Try these five easy-to-grow essentials…
or check out our Plant Finder for many more possibilities.
Coral Bells
An elegant rainbow. These tall flowers arrive in a rainbow of colors. Easy to grow in sun or shade, a favorite for hummingbirds, and require very little care. You may want to trim for additional blooms heading into fall.
Impatiens
You don’t need a lot of patience to grow impatiens. You don’t need a ton of sun, either. Plant these popular reds, pinks or whites and they quickly fill bare areas, requiring hardly any care. Best of all, they bloom from springtime all the way till the first fall frost.
Hostas
Why do you see so many thriving hostas in people’s front yards? They’re hardy, easy to divide, and grow best with a bit of shade. While the plants and petals are big and draw your eye from across the street, the center of the bloom is quite small – ideal for attracting hummingbirds.
Peonies (pee • uh • neez)
You won’t have to wait long for the regal purple, white, red, yellow or pink blooms of a peony. With hundreds of hybrids, the multi-color flower awakens in late spring and the explosion of color – along with its fresh, distinctively floral scent – make the peony a favorite for gardens and bouquets.
Sunflowers
Big IS beautiful. Some sunflowers can reach heights of 12 feet or more, and they’re not fragile. While these sturdy hallmarks of summer usually grow golden yellow, there are also red and white varieties. Kids love them. Butterflies and hummingbirds love them. Anyone who walks or drives past your garden will love them, too!
Feel like you’re constantly doing battle with weeds? In addition to proactive programs like Turf Line, you’ll also find weed prevention products at CountryMax that are great for minimizing a variety of unwelcome weeds. Two of our popular, environmentally friendly choices are:
An all-natural plant product made from corn gluten, Safe ‘N Simple not only provides effective weed control by inhibiting root development, but also delivers nitrogen to your soil.
Prevents summer and winter annual weeds from growing in flower and vegetable beds.
Bonide® Chickweed Clover Oxalis Killer Concentrate Pint is proven to kill Chickweed, Clover, Oxalis, Plantain, Speedwell, Canadian Thistle, Ground Ivy, Dandelion and many others - over 150 weeds listed on the label!
Bonide® Ground Force Vegetation Killer kills all weeds and grasses, roots and all! Prevents new growth for up to one full year. An excellent choice for driveways, patios, fence lines, gravel paths, parking areas, sidewalks, curbs and more.
Bonide® Poison Oak & Ivy Killer controls a wide range of broadleaf weeds such as poison oak and ivy, ragweed, dandelion, clover, buckhorn and Canadian thistle. Apply when weeds are actively growing for best results.
Brushtox® Brush Killer Concentrate treats up to 1 acre. For control of woody plants and broadleaf weeds. Works on permanent grass pastures, irrigation ditch banks, right of ways, ornamental turf and more.